Fan To Face Sexual Battery, Obscenity Charge

An Alabama man was booked into Orleans Parish Prison about 10:30 p.m. Thursday on one count of sexual battery and one count of obscenity in connection with the videotaped assault of an incapacitated LSU fan in the hours following the Jan. 9 BCS Championship game in New Orleans.

A sheriff in Russell County in Alabama said his cousin has been identified as the Alabama University fan wanted in connection with what New Orleans police call sexual battery that happened the night of the BCS Championship.

A court appearance will take place early Friday for 32-year-old Brian Downing.

Shortly before Midnight, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed that officers in its Sex Crimes division had met up with Downing at the Mid-City office of his local attorney. From there, the officers took Downing to the parish jail. It was the first official word from the NOPD that Downing was a suspect in the case.

Earlier in the evening, the WDSU I-Team had reported exclusively that Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Robert Blackburn signed the warrant for arrest on the sexual battery and obscenity charges.

Reports Thursday afternoon indicated that Downing and his attorney were en route from Russell County, Ala., to New Orleans to meet with NOPD detectives. At that time, however, no arrest warrant had been issued.

The video, which began circulating through website and bulletin board postings over the weekend, shows an unidentified man dressed in LSU gear slumped over a counter at the Krystal Burger restaurant on Bourbon Street. He is surrounded by men and women wearing crimson, and celebrating the University of Alabama's 21-0 victory.

Over several minutes' time, the revelers mock the LSU fan, adorning him with garbage, placing their fingers in his ears and nose, and posing for photos and videos beside him. At one point, the man begins to stir, only to return to what appears to be a state of unconsciousness.

Warrant Issued

Shortly thereafter, one individual unzips his pants to expose himself and thrusts his genitals in the face of the passed-out fan. He then pretends to sodomize him.

On Wednesday, NOPD officials stepped up their investigation with a call for help in identifying the person committing the obscene act. The Ledger-Enquirer newspaper, based near Downing's home town, reported that Downing had stepped forward to meet with authorities about the incident.

A Columbus, Ga., sporting goods store released a statement indicating that it had fired Downing from his job as a manager after learning of his involvement in the post-BCS fracas.